So I can't upload any pics right now because my media card reader isn't working and I am too lazy/busy to fix it, but I am willing to procrastinate enough to blog about this comical weekend in Amsterdam!
It all started Thursday morning. Brinda and I went to the PAWS room to print out our shuttle tickets to the airport. Being the absolute morons that we are be bought round trip tickets, not realizing we were flying into another Stansted and leaving from Luton. The best part none of us never remembered the night before at the Holly Bush when I said, "we're flying out of Luton but coming back to another airport right?". Then, I was frantically rushing to insert the footnotes into my history paper since my computer has Microsoft office starter on it that for some reason does not allow footnotes. I put in all the footnotes and then didn't save the friggin paper. So then I had to insert them all again, then I noticed I referred to one of the author's "Dickinson" as "Dickson" in reference to my Poly Sci professor. Thank god Dame Maggie Smith aka the cat wasn't in the PAWS room. We were such messes.
Now cut to the airport. After a long torturing 40 minute we were in Amsterdam! But the only problem was, we don't know Dutch. I still do not understand a word of that language. For some reason the Dutch can't take my Visa Car only ATMs can so I had to keep going to the ATM and withdraw money. We were not sure which train to get on. So we randomly asked some train attendant, they looked at us and laughed...just laughed in our faces. Then they told us to get on. I think they felt sorry for us because we got on the high speed luxury train when we only bought a ticket for the regular train. We looked back at them and they said, "This is first class" and then they laughed again. So we went to second class. Me being the moron that I am said, "Brinda are we moving?" That is how fast and smooth the train was running. I am now a proponent of high speed rail in the US, especially up the east coast, screw the Acella Express.
Now we're walking around looking for our hostel. Obviously we don't know Dutch and I can't even pronounce the names. That's when I asked, "What would Heidi Klum do?" and then I was reminded she's not Dutch, and apparently nor is Seal. To add insult to injury it began to rain and my umbrella broke. It was a downpour. I won't say anything else. Then after buying some expensive toiletries from a convenient store and having them tell me America is too expensive we went exploring. I love the city I must say. It is so pretty seeing all the tiny row houses. If I had the pics I'd show you. Then for dinner I decided to try the McKroket. I thought it kind of reminded me of a pierogi since it was a fried breading with what looked like potato and cheese on the inside. Turns out, it was beef. My bad...
The red light district. I've never seen so many hookers of so many shapes and sizes in my life, nor do I want to ever ever again. Oh I forgot to mention our room in the hostel. Brinda and I were in a queen sized bed on the top bunk. Fun times. Thursday night was a pain getting to sleep because these French guys were flirting with these German girls who didn't know French so they were using English to talk to them. It was a key example of of foreigners trying to use sarcasm and failing. The one guy would not shut up and was saying something to the effect of "oh I shouldn't be hitting on her because shes a minor and I need to ask her mother for permission". Thank god they were gone the next night.
The next day we went out on bikes with Brinda's friend Lea, one of my new favorite people, and her friends from her study abroad program in Spain. I personally enjoyed biking through the traffic of Amsterdam. It was really windy, but seeing all the canals and the boats going up and down them was so pretty. As was the houses as usual. We then biked around Vondel Park and being the inner child that I am we went down this epic slide in the park. Well the climb to the slide was epic, the slide not so much. We went by the Van Gogh Museum but 14.50 euro to look at paintings...I'll pass. So instead we went to the Sex Museum. Yea... basically it was nothing I couldn't find in a google or xtube search. Basically it was porn, but it was still fun. Since I don't smoke and I would like to possibly have a government job one day, Friday night can best be summed up as this though: Heineken 1-Ryan 0.
Saturday morning started on a wonderful note. We went bike riding again for a bit and finally went to the Anne Frank museum. The line was long but it was worth it. Bit of a let down that Otto Frank refused to restore the annex to how it looked when they were in hiding but it was still a great experience to see how they lived in such tiny rooms trying to avoid being kidnapped. The Heineken Factory didn't happen since it was 15 euro which is a pretty good amount. But who cares when there is pancakes involved. We got some Dutch pancakes for lunch which were so big and soooo good. It was kind of like a crepe topped with bananas, cinnamon, powdered sugar, and syrup. I am a fan.
I don't want to discuss my train ticket purchasing fiasco home because it got me so aggravated and this woman at the ticket counter was so rude I may have said "Dutch Bastard" out loud when I walked away instead of saying it in my head. Oh well...
In conclusion, Amsterdam is a wonderful city, very pretty, not much of a night life minus hookers and pot but it is definitely a city to go on a short 2 day trip to! Now to do my film studies paper...
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